Smithfield Foods named magazine’s sustainable processor of 2014

Food Engineering magazine honors Smithfield Foods for its companywide dedication to sustainable production

Food Engineeringmagazine has named Smithfield Foods its 2014 sustainable
processor of the year, reflecting Smithfield's corporate commitment to
sustainability as demonstrated by projects at three plants in Indiana, Illinois
and North Carolina. The honor, featured in the November issue, cites successful
programs to reduce wastewater, utilize biogas generated by wastewater treatment
and reduce waste sent to the landfill — all components of Smithfield's
commitment to reduce its environmental impact.

The magazine's 2014 award is the first to focus on a processor
with multiple plants rather than a sustainable plant of the year. "This
year, Food Engineering has selected Smithfield Foods as its Sustainable
Processor of the Year because the processor has made it a corporate priority to
improve the sustainability of all its plants and for them to give back to the
communities in which they're located," wrote Senior Technical Editor Wayne
Labs.

The award is open to any facilities that produce food for human
consumption. Judging criteria includes energy usage, recovery and reuse; water
usage, reuse and treatment; sustainable packaging initiatives; employee safety,
comfort and health initiatives; community impact; and corporate sustainability
mission statement implementation, among other criteria.

The article
focuses on two initiatives at John Morrell Food Group's Armour-Eckrich Meats in
Peru, Indiana, one a project to reduce the amount of wastewater sent to a
public treatment plant and the other on the facility's achievement of
zero-waste-to-landfill status—a first within the Smithfield organization. Also
recognized were the Saratoga Food Specialties operations in
Bolingbrook, Illinois, where multiple initiatives reduced energy and water
use and the amount of waste to landfill, and a project at Smithfield Farmland's
Tar Heel, North Carolina. facility, which utilized biogas from wastewater.

"Food
Engineering's decision to feature multiple projects at Smithfield operating
companies is further testament to the deep commitment to sustainability found
throughout our business," said Dennis Treacy, executive vice
president and chief sustainability officer, Smithfield Foods. "We
particularly salute our colleagues in North Carolina, Indiana, and Illinois for
making us proud through the implementation of these initiatives."